Artist: Helms Alee
Album: Stillicide
Label: Sargent House
Release date: September 2, 2016

"Stillicide" Track List 
1. More Weight
2. Untoxicated
3. Tit to Toe
4. Meats and Milks
5. Stillicide
6. Galloping Mind Fuk
7. Creeping You Company
8. Dream Long
9. Bullygoat
10. Andromenous
11. Worth Your Wild
Helms Alee
Stillicide

Every music nerd has gotten roped into the desert island conversation. You know—what’s the one record you would bring with you to some remote location to provide solace for the rest of your days? Or better yet, what’s the one band whose catalog would always remain fresh to your ears, even after years and years of isolation? Of course, the ideal candidate would be a band who has a significant body of work, a band who’s songs span a variety of temperaments and timbres, and, obviously, a band that just plain rules. With their fourth album, Stillicide, Helms Alee prove that they might be the only group you would need for the rest of your life. Hyperbole? Perhaps. But the Washington state trio of Ben Verellen (guitar, vocals), Dana James (bass, vocals), and Hozoji Margullis (drums, vocals) delivers the kind of expertly crafted, dynamic, nuanced, and diverse songwriting that is both instantly engaging and—as evidenced by their previous albums Night Terror (2008), Weatherhead (2011), and Sleepwalking Sailors (2014)—increasingly gratifying after years of repeated listens.

With Stillicide, Helms Alee continues their sonic tradition of blending heavy riffs, dark guitar pop, and math rock into songs that are at turns brutal, anthemic, and cerebrally engaging. Starting with the syncopated poundage and epic piano line of “More Weight”, Helms Alee demonstrates that they’ve fortified every angle of their attack. You want amp worship? Try to find a more barbaric chug than the riff in the appropriately titled “Galloping Mind Fuk”. You want melodies so powerful you break out in goosebumps? Try to quell your follicles during the final crescendo of “Tit to Toe”. You want one of those proggy odd-time signature moments where you can flex that you know where the “1” falls while banging your head? Listen to “Bullygoat” and bask in the knotty introductory guitar line that sounds like Duane Denison fucking with Depeche Mode’s “Personal Jesus”. Relish the brutalage of the title track. Savor the minor-key jangle of “Andromenous”. Ride the tumultuous tug-of-war between savagery and serenity in the album closer “Worth Your Wild”.

After nearly a decade of existence, one can only assume that a band is either entering their sunset years or striding with such artistic strength and confidence that they are creating a whole new legacy for themselves. With Helms Alee, it is obviously the latter scenario. The band set a high bar for themselves with their spectacular debut album Night Terror, but every subsequent release has trumped their previous endeavors. Bolstered by the recording and production expertise of Kurt Ballou at God City Studios, Stillicide is not only the group’s strongest collection of songs, it is arguably their best sounding release to date. The heavier moments are that much more oppressive; their melodic angles are that much more beguiling, and the juxtaposition between Verellen’s patriarchal roar and the siren song vocals of James and Margullis is that much more exhilarating. If there was only one band you could listen to for the rest of your life, Helms Alee would satiate most every emotional yearning. And if you could only pick one of their albums, you’d gravitate towards the best document of their textural range and songwriting chops. You’d gravitate towards Stillicide.  - by Brian Cook
 

Helms Alee "Stillicide" Album Reviews 

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"Helms Alee is a difficult band to describe. You've got to make mention of their big fat math rock crush, of course, as well as their penchant for dark, spidery pop, and the urgent grooves bubbling up underneath. There's the matter of how heavy the riffs are, and of how heavily the atmosphere sits atop them, and that's without even getting into the vocals, a triple—triple!—harmonic assault punctuated by well-placed roars." - Noisey
 

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“...one of the year’s more distinct metal albums, and one with a lot of crossover appeal.” - BrooklynVegan


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“Genre is dead; long live Helms Alee.” - Treble Magazine
 

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“...ask singer-guitarist Ben Verellen what's especially different about Stillicide, the band's fourth full-length, and you'll likely get a moderate "Not much." He wouldn't be wrong, and yet you'd still be asking him about one of the best rock albums of the year.” -Exclaim! Magazine 8/10 review


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"...the bulk of their frisson stems from its expansive feel, captured in haunting choral melodies, tightly churning tempos and expansive arrangements.” - CLRVYNT


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“...Maybe that’s why it sounds so radically different when channeled through a different vibe and voice, like late Mastodon, Mutoid Man, or Helms Alee. Some vibes just don’t strike you the right way; some albums make you reconsider the reasons for that.” - Metalsucks


"For all the album’s originality, the band makes no effort to hide their roots, instead just tweaking and braiding them into unlikely juxtapositions that add more depth than ever to their many shadow identities." - Decibel Magazine


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“The atmosphere created on Stillicide is one that is thunderous and gray. There’s a void in the record that sucks all the positivity. The rock opera sound the album at times generates feels like Swans when they reach their zenith.” - Popmatters


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“The Pacific Northwest is no stranger to sludgy wonderfulness, and this trio are one of the front-runners of the current scene. “ - Metal Injection


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“Bolstered by the recording and production expertise of Kurt Ballou at God City Studios, Stillicide is not only the group's strongest collection of songs, it is arguably their best sounding release to date.” - Lambgoat

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““Stillicide” is a raucous, fun record, one that has the band stretching their limbs further than they ever have before, resulting in 11 impactful, often atmosphere-rich tracks.” - Meat Mead Metal

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"...there isn’t another band that I know of right now, who are making this kind of exhilarating and daring music.” - echoes and dust


"With their ambitious songwriting, twin dynamic vocalists and refusal to gaze endlessly into the idealized past through rose-colored glasses, Helms Alee are one of the few bands pushing metal in a direction it needs to go: forward." - MXDWN


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“Stillicide is a beautiful, brutal, multi layered experience that will bring you back listen after listen. You can peel away layers like an onion and hear sounds and influences time after time.” - Outlaws of the Sun


"...there isn’t another band that I know of right now, who are making this kind of exhilarating and daring music." - Echoes and Dust
 

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“...it is the chock full of gripping riffs and math groove. With nearly a decade of music under their belt, the Seattle post-rockers are still bringing their dynamic art to life, and doing it in style.” - Metal Injection

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“Helms Alee delivers the kind of expertly crafted, dynamic, nuanced, and diverse songwriting that is both instantly intriguing and—as evidenced by their previous albums Night Terror (2008), Weatherhead (2011), and Sleepwalking Sailors (2014)—increasingly gratifying after repeated listens.” - Metal Sucks

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“Stillicide is not only the group’s strongest collection of songs, it is arguably their best sounding release to date. The heavier moments are that much more oppressive; their melodic angles are that much more beguiling, and the juxtaposition between Verellen’s patriarchal roar and the siren song vocals of James and Margullis is that much more exhilarating.  If there was only one band you could listen to for the rest of your life, Helms Alee would satiate most every emotional yearning. And if you could only pick one of their albums, you’d gravitate towards the best document of their textural range and songwriting chops. You’d gravitate towards Stillicide.” - Rock n Reel Reviews


"...this new LP is really an excellent addition to an already stellar catalog from a great band." - Hanging Hex


"..it’s either the heaviest left-field-indie release in years, or a mighty metal fist slamming down on the charred remains of alt-rock. Actually, bugger that – it’s weird, and that’s reason enough to listen." - Music & Riots Magazine


"Stillicide as a whole is perfect." - 5/5 - Bearded Gentlemen Music


"Helms Alee have sharpened their skills to a point fine enough to instrumentally dazzle, and they seem to be primed and ready to break the whole thing wide open.” - All Campus Radio Network


"...Stillicide delivers both might and magic via an 11-track blast of glacial post-rock/stoner metal grandeur." - All Music


"... a melodic hook that makes the pulverizing song feel accessible." - AV Club


"...a hefty slab of captivating music that defies easy categorization, instead shifting and weaving through multiple genres with grace and ease." - Bloody Disgusting


"The album is a perfect encapsulation of the band's sensibilities, utilizing a post-hardcore aesthetic to deliver interesting and unexpected examples of math rock and heavy metal riffing." - The Hook Journal


"...songs like "Tit to Toe" just work in that sort of complex way that keeps you guessing." - If It’s Too Loud


"Helms Alee are getting good at this; Stillicide boasts a lot of energetic, unpredictable grunge-sludge with some solid material for future single releases. Their brand of chaos is always wonderfully listenable, satisfying stuff despite being so mercurial." - The Monolith


"Helms Alee have created an intoxicating sonic world that is strange and otherworldly yet filled with expertly crafted catchy songs. Every track on this album is stuffed to the gills with choice riffs and killer hooks that will be embedded deep in your mind for years to come." "...a perfect fusion of big riffs, noise rock rumble and muscular indie rock filtered through a cloud of woozy reverb."  "...there are few bands that can measure up to their fearsome power.” - The Sludgelord


"The Seattle based trio...have somehow managed to carve out a very distinctive sound for themselves without ever confining themselves to any particular style.” - The Quietus


"Stillicide is a beautiful, brutal, multi layered experience that will bring you back listen after listen." - Outlaws of the Sun


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